South Whitehall officials hired an engineering firm to draft a preservation plan for the dam and its most ardent advocates are establishing a nonprofit to ensure that future generations can visit the slice of township history for years to come. All of this comes less than a year after the 111-year-old structure's demise seemed imminent.

Township commissioners unanimously agreed Wednesday night to hire Michael Baker International to draft a maintenance plan for the restoration and preservation of the dam to ensure it passes the next round of state inspections in 2017. The plan, due to cost the township $26,520, will outline multiple options on how the township can restore and maintain the dam well into the future.

"It's such a relief to hear this," said Lori Wehr Young, whose family used to own the property and a mill powered by the dam.

The board's decision to fund a maintenance plan for the dam comes just as Young and her father, William Wehr, began the process of filing for nonprofit status to establish Friends of Wehr's Dam. The group, Young explained, would help provide a base for fundraising efforts to promote and protect the dam for generations.

"We've been extremely encouraged by the actions of the board," Young, flanked by her father, told the commissioners. "We hope we can continue to work together to help preserve our history."

The Wildlands Conservancy lobbied the township to remove the dam last year, emphasizing the potential danger of the low-head dam to swimmers and the hardship it caused for area wildlife. Such dam removal efforts have been common around the state in recent years.

But fans of the dam — from within South Whitehall and beyond — rose to oppose the removal, celebrating the dam as a picturesque part of the township's history.

JIMI MCCULLIAN / THE MORNING CALL

Plans are now in the works to presevr the Wehr's Dam in South Whitehall Township for years to come.

Plans are now in the works to presevr the Wehr's Dam in South Whitehall Township for years to come. (JIMI MCCULLIAN / THE MORNING CALL)

Young said it was during the last several months that she and her father began contemplating the benefits of a nonprofit. Supporters of the dam wanted to donate money to save it, Young said, and an agency devoted to the dam's future seemed the best way to handle such efforts.

"That was the thing," she said. "We felt like we had the support to move forward with something like this."

Discussions with other similar nonprofit organizations got the ball rolling, Young and Wehr explained, but they quickly learned that the process is a slow one.

"That's another reason we're happy for this," Young said of the maintenance plan. "This can buy us some time as we move through our process."

Young had no estimate for how long it would take to establish the organization, but said they'd begun the paperwork to make it a reality.

Township Manager Howard Kutzler said Michael Baker International hopes to have a plan for the township's review before the end of the year. Kutzler also noted that the firm has completed more than 20 similar projects in the last five years and has an Allentown office for easy accessibility. The company was one of five that answered a May request for proposals. Price tags for plans ranged from $13,000 to $50,000, according to Kutzler.

"We believe these guys are the best fit for us," he said.

Commissioner Glenn Block hopes the move Wednesday is a turning point for the township.

"I'm optimistic and encouraged by the fact that they're willing to see us through the 2017 inspections," Block said.

He hopes that will provide the township with the time to figure out what's next for the dam and budget appropriately. Restoration costs, he hopes, will come in far below the more than $1 million figure initially presented to the township by another firm.

"I think we can finally put this to rest in the eyes of the public," Block said.